Arrangement in refuse disposal chutes



April 25, 1967 o. H. HALLSTROM I 3,316,026

I ARRANGEMENT IN REFUSE DISPOSAL CHUTES Filed April 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 0L 0F HEN/WK HAL LSTRC'M TTOR/VEY A ril 25, 1967 o. H. HALLSTRCBM 3,316,026

ARRANGEMENT IN REFUSE DISPOSAL CHUTES Filed April 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 N VEN TOR. 0L OF HEN/WK HA L L 5 m6 M.

A TTORA/EX United States Patent ()fiice 3,316,026 ARRANGEMENT IN REFUSE DISPOSAL CHUTES Olof Henrik Hallstriim, Kammakargatan 6, Stockholm, Sweden Filed Apr. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 446,984 2 Claims. (Cl. 302-51) The present invention relates to an arrangement in refuse disposal chutes in order periodically to remove refuse from a refuse disposal chute through a suction pipe connected to a suction plant and opening out into a separating, packaging, destroying or collecting arrangement or the like; said suction pipe being adapted to be closed from the lower section of the refuse disposal chute by means of a valve. The refuse may be conveyed further to a place where it can be burnt, e.g. in an incinerator.

The primary object of the invention is to provide rubbish from fastening in the valve. In order to achieve this result according to the invention a valve opening controlled by a sliding valve body in the valve is ar ranged at the upper portion of a valve housing which has a considerably larger area of flow than that of the lower portion of the refuse disposal chute connected to the upper portion of said valve housing, for the purpose of causing the refuse released from the chute through the valve opening to fall into a space with a larger width than that of the lower portion of the refuse disposal chute.

The valve is suitably so designed that immediately, or just before, the refuse is released into the suction pipe, ambient air is supplied to the refuse pipe so that the stored refuse can be more easily drawn down by the air suction in the suction pipe. For this purpose, according to one embodiment of the invention, the sliding valve body, which is displaceable approximately at right angles to the axial direction of the suction pipe, also can be arranged so that at the beginning of its opening movement when refuse is to be fed into the suction pipe, it opens an inlet which allows air to enter said suction pipe.

The air inlet is preferably formed by a slot in the transition between the refuse disposal chute and the suc tion pipe where the sliding valve is arranged.

The invention will now be described more closely with reference to the attached drawings which, as an example, show an embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 1 shows the arrangement according to the invention in elevation,

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the valve and FIGURE 3 is a plan view thereof.

The bottom of the disposal chute 1 is connected to a branch 2a of a suction pipe 2, the end 8 of which opens out into a refuse separating, packaging, destroying or collecting arrangement connected with a suction plant, possibly in order to convey the refuse further to a place (not shown) where it can be burnt, e.g. a refuse incinerator. A suitable conical valve housing 3, shown in detail in FIGURES 2 and 3, is arranged between the chute 1 and the suction pipe. The valve housing 3 includes a sliding valve body 4 in the form of a plate, which for example is operated by a hydraulic or pneumatic mechanism 5 having a piston rod 6 pivotally connected to a link 7 which is connected to the valve body. The valve body moves through an are shaped path and is controlled by a guide 9.

3,3 16 ,025 Patented Apr. 25, 1967 The upper section of the valve housing 3, nearest to the refuse disposal chute 1, is somewhat wider than said chute. Therefore, when the valve body begins to open, it first discloses an air slot, at 10, whereby air, under the influence of the suction prevailing in the branch 2a of the suction pipe 2, rushes into the pipe and, due to the injector action, snatches at the refuse falling down the chute 1.

Due to the fact that the slide valve body, when in closed position, extends outside the periphery of the chute [1, the refuse is prevented from fastening or sticking to the valve seating. Through the valve described a passageway is first opened for the stream of air and thereafter for allowing the refuse to fall down. According to one embodiment the valve body can have an even larger upper diameter so that a larger air inlet can be obtained before the refuse starts to fall.

The arrangement operates in the following manner. When the lower section of the refuse disposal chute, in closed position, is filled with rubbish, the valve 4 is opened and air is allowed to enter, and thereafter the rubbish enters. The air stream pulls the refuse into the suction pipe at high speed and carries the refuse to a separator prior to its being conveyed to a desired place, e.g. an incinerator where a suitable temperature prevails so that the refuse is burnt. The valve 4 is closed when the refuse is emptied from the lower section of the refuse disposal chute. The suction pipe can be connected to an air intake 11 on the other side of the chute 1 via a valve. The suction pipe is preferably connected to several vertical suction ducts which, for example, can be used for the purpose of dust evacuation. Thus a permanent subpressure (vacuum) prevails in the suction pipe as long as the plant is in operation. Further, the branch 2a and the suction pipe 2 could have doors for facilitating cleaning. The suction effect is suitably obtained from a central suction plant.

As long as the lower end of the refuse disposal chute is closed from the suction pipe the refuse is stored to a certain amount in the lower portion of the chute proper, which has a relatively large volume and, for example, can hold a half to a full days waste. The valve 4 is opened when this lower portion of the chute is full of nub bish.

It is possible to arrange several valves in sequence, e.g. one valve in the upper portion of the chute and one valve in the upper portion of the suction pipe as an insurance against the possibility of one valve not closing correctly for some unforeseen reason. Furthermore, with large sliding valve bodies and high subpressures it can sometimes be necessary to make arrangements in order to facilitate the start of the opening movement of the valve body or to preliminarily allow air to enter the suction pipe in order to reduce the su'bpressure.

What I claim is:

1. A refuse disposal chute valve comprising a valve housing, and a sliding valve body arranged at the upper portion of said valve housing, said valve housing adapted to be connected between the lower end of a refiuse disposal chute and a suction pipe, said valve housing. having a considerably larger cross-sectional flow area than said chute and having an air inlet opening outside the flow area of said chute, said air inlet opening being uncovered by .said sliding valve body' before the flow area of said chute is uncovered whenvsaid valve is opened. .7

2, A refuse disposal chute valve comprising a valve 'hotusing connected to the lower end of a refuse disposal chute and a sliding valve body arranged at the upper portion of said valve housing, the cross-sectional area of the upper portion of said valve housing extending outside the cross-sectional flow area of said chute and including an air inlet slot outside the cross-sectional flow area of said chute, said slot being covered by said sliding valve body when this body is in a closed position, said slot being uncovered when the sliding valve body is in opened position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,019,592 3/1912 Booth 302-52 1,121,710 12/1914 Carries 30240 1,473,757 11/1923 Dorsey 30251 10 ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A REFUSE DISPOSAL CHUTE VALVE COMPRISING A VALVE HOUSING, AND A SLIDING VALVE BODY ARRANGED AT THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID VALVE HOUSING, SAID VALVE HOUSING ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED BETWEEN THE LOWER END OF A REFUSE DISPOSAL CHUTE AND A SUCTION PIPE, SAID VALVE HOUSING HAVING A CONSIDERABLY LARGER CROSS-SECTIONAL FLOW AREA THAN SAID CHUTE AND HAVING AN AIR INLET OPENING OUTSIDE THE FLOW AREA OF SAID CHUTE, SAID AIR INLET OPENING BEING UNCOVERED BY SAID SLIDING VALVE BODY BEFORE THE FLOW AREA OF SAID CHUTE IS UNCOVERED WHEN SAID VALVE IS OPENED. 